A former CVS MinuteClinic worker in Virginia filed suit against the retail pharmacy Aug. 31, accusing the company of firing her because she refused to prescribe and administer drugs that can induce an abortion.
The nurse practitioner, Paige Casey, started her job in September 2018. Initially, CVS allowed her to not distribute drugs because of her religious beliefs, but in December 2021, the clinic revoked the decision and ultimately fired Ms. Casey in April 2022, according to court documents.
Ms. Casey is seeking $100,000 in compensatory damages.
CVS spokesperson Mike DeAngelis told Becker's reproductive health matters are an "essential job function."
"We have a well-defined process in place for employees to request and be granted a reasonable accommodation due to their religious beliefs, which in some cases can be an exemption from performing certain job functions," Mr. DeAngelis said. "It is not possible, however, to grant an accommodation that exempts an employee from performing the essential functions of their job."
The lawsuit claims CVS obstructed Virginia's Conscience Clause, which "[prohibits] employers from terminating medical-professional employees for failure to participate in abortion."
A similar case took place in Minnesota in August — the first of its kind — when a pharmacy worker refused to fill a prescription for the emergency contraceptive Ella because it went against his religious beliefs. The jury voted in the pharmacist's favor, deciding he did not discriminate against the customer.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, battles at the pharmacy counter have been ramping up, from workers refusing to sell condoms to others hesitating to fill prescriptions because they can cause an abortion.